Page 10 of Rebel Heart
This was so unusual.
It wasn’t as though I hadn’t ever taken a woman out on a date before. Plenty of women were pretty. But there was something about Jules that was on another level for me. And while I’d been honest with her about why I was staring, I guess I hadn’t given her the full truth.
From the moment I saw her in that dress tonight that hugged every sinful curve on her body perfectly, my mind went blank. That lasted for only a few seconds before it was filled with wicked thoughts of what I wanted to do to that body. The toned legs, trim waist, round ass, and perfect tits beckoned me.
It was an effort not to reach out and pull her close, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. Not to bury myface against her neck to inhale the scent of her while wrapping that thick, shiny hair cascading down her back around my fist.
For all the things I wanted to do to her, I figured she at least deserved a nice meal at a decent restaurant.
So, I’d brought her out to Savor.
Sure, it was the kind of restaurant that might have led to misinterpretations, but I didn’t think taking her through the drive-through was going to score me any points. Obviously, I wasn’t the kind of guy who was looking for a long-term relationship, but that didn’t mean I wanted nothing to do with her. So far, between the flirting and desserts from yesterday and the dress she was wearing today, I really wanted to score points with Jules.
I’d probably need to have some decent conversation with her before I stood to gain any ground, though.
“Well, you’re not so bad to look at yourself,” Jules declared. “I’ll let you stare all you want as long as you don’t call me out if I do it, too.”
Laughter spilled out of me. “Fair enough. So, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure. Isn’t that why we’re here?”
Her response made me pause. This was a date. And as flirty as she might have been, Jules had just made it clear that she believed there was a purpose to us being on this date. Technically, I didn’t disagree. But I got the distinct feeling we had different ideas in our minds about what that purpose was. I wondered if I should have stopped myself from asking what I had intended to andinstead shared what my intentions were with her. In the end, I decided against doing the right thing.
“I guess this goes back to me feeling like I can’t take my eyes off you,” I started. “You’re just the kind of woman I think I’d notice anywhere, so I’m wondering why I missed seeing you at Westwood’s the last time I was there.”
“Didn’t you say it’s been a few years since you last visited?” she countered.
I nodded. “Yeah. Why? Did you only recently start working there?”
“Not exactly. How long ago was your last trip there?”
“Oh, man, um… probably about eight years ago.”
Jules pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh, but her eyes were shining with amusement. “So, the answer is simple. You didn’t see me there, because I was still in high school at the time.”
Like I’d been doused with a bucket of ice water, my body froze. “Excuse me?”
Her eyes darted toward the ceiling as she nodded her head slowly. I could see her mind working. “Yeah. Yeah, eight years ago would’ve put me back in high school.”
High school?
She looked young, but I didn’t think she wasthatyoung.
I swallowed roughly. “Given that bit of information, I’m certain I can ask this question without being insulting. Exactly how old are you?”
While my stomach was a mess of knots, Jules didn’tseem to be the least bit concerned about anything. “I’ll be twenty-five later this month.”
She was twenty-four.
I was on a date with a twenty-four-year-old woman.
Eight years ago, when she was seventeen and in high school, I was still older than she is right now.
I was so surprised by this information, unsure what to do with it. My heartbeat kicked up a notch, and tingles ran over my skin.
Twenty-four.
An adult, yes. But barely.
